


Chosen

by chasethewind



Series: Dribbles and Drabbles [31]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Kittens, Prompt Fic, Prompt Fill, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 05:59:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6458677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasethewind/pseuds/chasethewind
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Also think about a stray kitten somehow getting into the Bunker and Oliver just adopts it without question. It lives in the bunker. It sleeps on his lap as he's monitoring the computers. It likes to play with arrows. Team Arrow is like ??? But Oliver never explains. KITTEN IN THE ARROW CAVE. (hcourageous)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chosen

_ _

_You don’t choose the cat, the cat chooses you._

When he found the little calico fur ball outside the back entrance of the Bunker, Oliver initially thought it was nothing, until its head popped up and those large, shining blue eyes stared up at him. The tiny, high-pitched meow almost instantly melted his heart and he couldn’t help himself. He bent down and picked up the dirty kitten off the cold asphalt, taking it inside with him. He gave it a warm, gentle bath, one he expected the cat would fight him on, but was surprised to find it simply sit under the faucet as he washed away the dirt and the grime.

Once wrapped in a towel, those big, blue eyes stared up at him again before another tiny meow escaped its mouth. When it began to purr, Oliver knew there was no way he’d take the kitten to the shelter. He was smitten. Those blue eyes reminded him of someone near and dear to his heart, and he felt this was as close to her as he’d get anytime soon.

An hour later, he took the kitten to the nearest veterinary clinic to make sure it wasn’t hurt or sick, and after a couple of tests and several shots, the kitten, a female to be exact, was given a clean bill of health and a name: Peanut. It was the only name he could think of on short notice considering how fast things were happening. Besides, it fit the tiny little bundle in his arms as he carried her back outside, slipping the kitten into his leather jacket so her head popped out beneath her chin as he drove off on his bike.

That was the thing about Peanut: she didn’t mind anything they did just so long as she was close to Oliver. He learned that the second he tried to leave the Bunker later that afternoon to get her a littler box, food, bowls, and a collar. Peanut meowed so loudly, he could hear her through the elevator shaft. Oliver was forced to take her with, something he realized he didn’t mind doing. 

The kitten became his constant companion, a little furry ball of love that rubbed up against him and settled into his lap whenever he sat down, whether it be to monitor the computers for any criminal activity or to sharpen arrows at his worktable. He quickly learned that Peanut enjoyed playing with his gear, something he would have to rectify before it became a problem. Oliver fashioned her some toys out of spare string, arrow shafts, and fletching, and soon his new pet became enamored with it.

When the rest of the team arrived that evening, the sight of Oliver with the kitten sleeping on his lap instantly became the topic of conversation. Thea was the first to spot her, watching him stroke the kitten’s back as his eyes remained glued to the monitors in front of him.

“Uh, Ollie, is that what I think it is?” she asked, cautiously stepping closer to get a better look.

“Yes,” Oliver simply answered without taking his eyes off the screen.

“Care to explain?” Thea replied, placing her hands on her hips as she stared down at the fur ball in his lap.

“Nope,” he said just as the kitten woke up. She yawned, stretching her body out before using her paws to gently massage his upper thigh. When Peanut noticed the newcomer, her entire body instantly went on the defense, her hair standing up on end.

When Thea took another step closer, she hissed, and Oliver immediately placed a hand over the width of the kitten’s back. “Whoa, Peanut, calm down,” he whispered, quickly setting the cat at ease. 

“Peanut?” Thea repeated with a snort. “I never saw you as a cat person, Ollie.” She turned then and headed over to the training area to get ready for a night of sparring. 

Reactions to the rest of the team went about the same, although Laurel did get clawed when she tried to reach out and pet Peanut. Dig kept his distance, though, deciding it was not worth the claw marks he’d have to explain to Lyla when he got home later that night.

With the streets mostly quiet that evening, everyone headed home early, leaving Oliver and Peanut alone in the Bunker. That night, he slept on his cot, his new companion curled up either at his side, on his chest, or against his neck. She kept him calm when the nightmares hit, placing her paws on his chest and gently licking his nose.

From that day forward, Peanut stayed with him. While those first few weeks were tough leaving her alone for several hours at a time, she quickly grew used to it, curling up on his pillow until Oliver returned. There were quiet days and crazy days, days where he’d come back exhausted and days where he’d come back near death. Peanut always cuddled up next to him, and he found her presence something to cling to when things became overwhelming.

Then came the day Felicity returned to the Bunker, her bright pink heels clicking up the stairs to her chair in front of her monitors.

“Oliver!” he heard her shout his name from where he was washing his hands in the bathroom. He came out running, afraid someone had broken into their lair, but when he saw her staring down at her chair, he realized what was happening. “Why is there a cat in the Bunker?” she asked, her eyes immediately finding his.

“I can explain,” Oliver sheepishly replied as he bounded up the stairs and scooped the kitten into his arms before she could inflict any pain on the woman he’d tried so hard to reconnect with.

“Finally,” he heard Thea mumble from somewhere behind him.

“I found her outside,” he explained. “In the alley, by the door. She looked up at me and meowed, and I couldn’t just leave her out there in the cold, so I brought her inside and, well, I guess I adopted a cat.”

A smile crept onto Felicity’s face as she slowly stepped closer to them, her hand stretched out in a non-threatening gesture, allowing the kitten to sniff her. “What’s her name?” she asked softly, another calming gesture that allowed this to go far more smoothly than he expected.

“Peanut,” Oliver said just as the kitten sniffed Felicity’s fingers. Suddenly, she opened her mouth, but instead of biting Felicity, she licked her hand. Then she wiggled out of Oliver’s grasp, reaching out to the woman in front of him as if asking to be held by her. His jaw dropped as Peanut easily went from his arms into Felicity’s, and she gently scratched the kitten behind the ears and under the chin.

“She’s never done _that_ before,” he heard Dig whisper to Thea.

“I think she likes you,” Oliver said, reaching over to stroke his hand over the cat’s head. “And, uh, she doesn’t really like anyone aside from me.” In his head, he knew the reason: Felicity’s scent was all over everything down here. Maybe that’s why Peanut took such a quick liking to her. Or maybe it was because Felicity was just a gentle person in general. Whatever the reason, Oliver was glad they had gotten along so quickly and so easily.

Maybe this would finally win Felicity over. Maybe seeing him take care of Peanut, love her just as much as he loved his former fiance, would finally allow her to see he was trying. Only time would tell.


End file.
